pressure.” He emphasized every syllable, as if I was either incapable of understanding English or partially deaf.
“What about it?”
He cocked his head. “Someone’s crying in there,” he said.
“What can I do for you?” I said, ignoring his comment.
“If you pick her up, she’ll stop crying. I’ve been listening to her all day.” He gave me a stare. “Not that the walls are particularly thin in this building, but noise travels.”
“What about the water pressure?” I tried to keep my face expressionless.
“Have you taken a shower lately?” he asked and looked me up and down through the crack in the door: my greasy hair, my wrinkled shirt, and the pants I’d been wearing for a week. “There’s a problem with the plumbing, they are working on the pipes.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“She isn’t going to stop crying until you pick her up.” His neck craned to see what was going on behind me.
I started to think that my expressionless face might be a mistake. “Let me call you after I check, okay?” I closed the door and on my way to the nursery, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked emaciated, my cheeks sunken and my eyes black holes surrounded by dark circles. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had taken a shower.
A couple of hours later the buzzer went off again. This time I opened the door and stood in the doorway. I had all but forgotten about the plumbing and the water pressure.
“The pressure seems fine,” I lied, “but I can’t tell a difference, to be honest with you.”
“Would you mind if I checked?”
I didn’t say anything.
“I met your husband a couple of times.” He hesitated ever so slightly, then added, “He asked me to check on you.”
“I don’t need to be checked on.”
“Maybe that came out wrong. He wants me to help you if you have any issues. Plumbing, electric, whatever you need, just tell me. I’m either next door or upstairs. Except on the weekends, I’m never here on the weekends. I visit my sister upstate. But during the week, Monday morning until Friday afternoon, I’m all yours.” He smiled at me, then cocked his head. “You didn’t call me and I realized you didn’t have my number.” He stepped closer and handed me a piece of paper. I got a whiff of sawdust and oil.
“I’m not sure what my husband told you, but the moving company gave me a list of plumbers and electricians.”
Lieberman nodded. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a plumber to show up? You have more important things to worry about,” he said and raised his eyebrows.
Mia was fussing in the background. “Right,” I said and grabbed the door.
“I’m around nail guns and saws all day. It can get pretty loud and the ringing in the ears sometimes takes hours to go away,” he said and tapped his right ear with his hand. He smiled without showing teeth and took his New York Yankees hat off. “I go home at the end of the day and then I hear the baby cry through the ceiling. That’s all I’m saying. Must be hard, all by yourself.”
He looked even younger with his hat off.
“I’ll check the pressure again and I’ll call you. Promise.”
“Okay then. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll just come back,” he said and laughed.
I offered him a smile that was friendly without being encouraging. Before I shut the door, I heard the tarp move and for a second the construction noise increased. Then the tarp closed and all was quiet again.
—
A couple of blocks from North Dandry, a Child’s Play offered child care services by the hour.
“Here’s a copy of our policies. The by-the-hour group drop-off times are flexible. The other groups adhere to a curriculum and you have to talk to the individual caregiver regarding the drop-off times.” A middle-aged woman in ice cream cone–littered scrubs handed me a stack of papers from behind the counter.
We toured the facility. Behind a two-way glass wall two staffers in pink scrubs sat
“What about it?”
He cocked his head. “Someone’s crying in there,” he said.
“What can I do for you?” I said, ignoring his comment.
“If you pick her up, she’ll stop crying. I’ve been listening to her all day.” He gave me a stare. “Not that the walls are particularly thin in this building, but noise travels.”
“What about the water pressure?” I tried to keep my face expressionless.
“Have you taken a shower lately?” he asked and looked me up and down through the crack in the door: my greasy hair, my wrinkled shirt, and the pants I’d been wearing for a week. “There’s a problem with the plumbing, they are working on the pipes.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“She isn’t going to stop crying until you pick her up.” His neck craned to see what was going on behind me.
I started to think that my expressionless face might be a mistake. “Let me call you after I check, okay?” I closed the door and on my way to the nursery, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked emaciated, my cheeks sunken and my eyes black holes surrounded by dark circles. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had taken a shower.
A couple of hours later the buzzer went off again. This time I opened the door and stood in the doorway. I had all but forgotten about the plumbing and the water pressure.
“The pressure seems fine,” I lied, “but I can’t tell a difference, to be honest with you.”
“Would you mind if I checked?”
I didn’t say anything.
“I met your husband a couple of times.” He hesitated ever so slightly, then added, “He asked me to check on you.”
“I don’t need to be checked on.”
“Maybe that came out wrong. He wants me to help you if you have any issues. Plumbing, electric, whatever you need, just tell me. I’m either next door or upstairs. Except on the weekends, I’m never here on the weekends. I visit my sister upstate. But during the week, Monday morning until Friday afternoon, I’m all yours.” He smiled at me, then cocked his head. “You didn’t call me and I realized you didn’t have my number.” He stepped closer and handed me a piece of paper. I got a whiff of sawdust and oil.
“I’m not sure what my husband told you, but the moving company gave me a list of plumbers and electricians.”
Lieberman nodded. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a plumber to show up? You have more important things to worry about,” he said and raised his eyebrows.
Mia was fussing in the background. “Right,” I said and grabbed the door.
“I’m around nail guns and saws all day. It can get pretty loud and the ringing in the ears sometimes takes hours to go away,” he said and tapped his right ear with his hand. He smiled without showing teeth and took his New York Yankees hat off. “I go home at the end of the day and then I hear the baby cry through the ceiling. That’s all I’m saying. Must be hard, all by yourself.”
He looked even younger with his hat off.
“I’ll check the pressure again and I’ll call you. Promise.”
“Okay then. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll just come back,” he said and laughed.
I offered him a smile that was friendly without being encouraging. Before I shut the door, I heard the tarp move and for a second the construction noise increased. Then the tarp closed and all was quiet again.
—
A couple of blocks from North Dandry, a Child’s Play offered child care services by the hour.
“Here’s a copy of our policies. The by-the-hour group drop-off times are flexible. The other groups adhere to a curriculum and you have to talk to the individual caregiver regarding the drop-off times.” A middle-aged woman in ice cream cone–littered scrubs handed me a stack of papers from behind the counter.
We toured the facility. Behind a two-way glass wall two staffers in pink scrubs sat
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